Damaris and the Cartoons

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when I say the word “cartoon”?

Depending on your age you might say…..Betty Boop, Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, or Sponge Bob, right?

However, my subject matter doesn’t refer to those types of cartoons today.

Look at this Raphael painting below:

Raphael's depiction of Paul teaching at the Areopagus

THIS painting is referred to as a cartoon.  

Seriously…..a cartoon.

The dictionary advises a cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art.  While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or the artistic style of such works.   The term actually originated in the Middle Ages and was used to refer to a preparatory drawing for a piece of art, such as a painting, fresco tapestry, or stained glass window.

The above painting is part of a series referred to as The Raphael Cartoons he prepared for the Sistine Chapel, and shows Paul giving his sermon at the Areopagus or “Rock of Ares” which served as the High Court of Appeals for criminal and civil cases in the city of Athens.

Paul’s sermon is related in Acts 17: 16-34.  He drew inspiration for his sermon from the alter to the unknown god…..”The God who made the World and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.”

    

Upon entering Athens Paul had been upset by seeing the city full of idols.   He was taken to the Areopagus or High Court to explain himself.   What we have in Acts is one of the most full and most dramatic speeches Paul ever uttered.  He must have been very convincing because many in the crowd were converted.

Now look back at Raphel’s painting again. Notice the couple in the lower right corner.   Yes, a couple….as in husband and WIFE.    Art historians are certain this couple was added later by Raphael’s pupil, Giulio Romano because the man and woman don’t seem to fit in with relation to position or scale.

The couple is mentioned in Acts 17:34……Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed.  Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Demaris, and a number of others.


The woman's name is important.   She's listed with men in a place where men congregated in Athens.   


Why  was she mentioned?


It's very evident that she was a woman of high status or she wouldn't have been at the Areopagus.  In fact, John Chrysostom, the Archbishop of Constantinople, made the connection that Demaris was actually the wife of Dionysius thought Luke doesn't tell us.


Historians today aren't so sure.  Authors such as Robert Paul Seesengood, a biographer of Paul, agree there are no hard details to link the two......though in the whole scheme of things it doesn't really matter. 


What matters is Paul spoke...and people listened and were saved.


The cartoon detail is kind of interesting, too!!!

Ten for Tuesday: The Book of Esther

1. This book appears in the Hebrew Bible as well as the New Testament. It provides the backstory regarding the Jewish holiday of Purim, and the name is derived from the main character of the story.

2. The events discussed in Esther occurred during the third year of the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. This was during the time Jewish people were living in exile in Persia. My very own Bible states the story portrays God’s providential care of people committed to Him in the midst of overwhelming challenges to their faith.

3. God is never mentioned by name or referred to, however the book has several instances that provide evidence of belief in the active involvement of God.

4. Only canonical text not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

5. Most scholars agree that the author of Esther is unknown, but Jewish tradition holds that the book was written by Mordecai, her uncle. Esther had never lived in the promised land. She was from a wealthy and powerful family even in exile.

6. The story recounts how the hatred of one man for the Jews nearly resulted in the eradication of the Jewish people in the entire Persian Empire.

7. The basic plot involves Esther, a Jewish girl, and her uncle Mordecai. Esther becomes the new wife and queen of Artaxerxes, but doesn’t tell the king she is Jewish. My Bible states Esther’s risky work in preserving the Jewish people reflects the worldview category of ethics and morality.

8. Most discussions concerning the book of Esther state the villainy of Haman demonstrates human depravity at its worst; the integrity of Mordecai shows the enormous good that one person can do. Esther’s story (like Joseph’s in Genesis) demonstrates that when God’s people face difficult circumstances, they are to act courageously and risk themselves for a righteous cause rather than give in to “fate” or “being unlucky.”

9. The key verse of the book…Who knows, perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this….Esther 4:14.

10. The first ones to hear the story of Esther were Jews in Persia, sometimes after the feast of Purim had become an established custom. By this time, the post-exillic people of Israel had adopted the name “Jew” for the term Jew(s) occurs more in the book of Esther than in the rest of the Old Testament combined.

The image with this post is the painting Esther by John Everett Millais in 1865. Millais painted Esther as she prepares to enter the presence of her husband uninvited. Notice the yellow gown Esther has on. Millais borrowed the yellow gown from General Gordon. He had received the gown from the Chinese emperor after his defeat of the Taiping Rebellion. Millais turned the gown inside out so that the fact the gown was obviously Chinese could be hidden….notice the culturally unspecific abstract patterns. One of General Gordon’s military exploits is detailed in the movie The Four Feathers.

Wordless: Verse 56

These two images are titled Eve and Apple, with Counterpart. They were created by Giuseppe Arcimboldo in 1578.

I find the paintings be interesting but disturbing at the same time. These are very different than the usual religious artwork you see dating back to the late 1500s. Arcimboldo used objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books to form portrait heads.

Are these the works of whimsy or the products of a deranged mind? ….Art critics have debated this for years. I’d say Arimboldo was definitely a man before his time….He was a Surrealist before the school was birthed by the likes of Salvador Dali.

You can see more of his work here.

You can discover other bloggers participating in Wordless Wednesday here.

Wordless: Verse 37

This is a Rembrandt and is titled The Evangelist Peter Inspired by an Angel. I wrote about inspired scripture yesterday and included another Rembrandt image of Paul writing in his jail cell.

Have a wonderful Wednesday. You can see other images here